Press release

Press release

Unprecedented review of Scottish care system demands radical overhaul

Independent Care Review wants ‘more care, less system’

Says Scotland must ‘parent, not process’ children

Human and economic cost of care published for first time

The Independent Care Review (Care Review) has today (5 February) called for a radical overhaul of  Scotland’s ‘care system’ and publishes, for the first time, the human and economic cost of the current provision and its failures.

Unprecedented in scope, methodology and model, the Care Review has listened to more than 5,500 experiences.

Over half of those were children and young people with experience of the ‘care system’, adults who have lived in care and their families. The rest came from the unpaid and paid workforce.

These experiences are the heart of the Care Review’s work and guided and shaped its conclusions.

The in-depth examination of all aspects of care in Scotland has revealed a system that is fractured, bureaucratic and unfeeling for far too many children and families. It also doesn’t adequately value the voices and experiences of those in it.

The Care Review has calculated that services which deliver and surround the ‘care system’ cost £1.2 billion annually – this includes children and families support services; Children’s Panels; Children’s Hearings Scotland; Scottish Children’s Reporters Administration as well as delivery of other universal services like education and mental health to children in care.

The Care Review also calculated the costs of the ‘care system’ letting down children and their families at £1.6 billion; a combination of £875 million in meeting the needs care experienced people have as a result of the ‘care system’ failing them and £732 million in lost income tax and national insurance.

Driven by an unwavering focus on the voice of care experience, the Care Review demands the following changes:

• The balance of power must be upended so that listening to children and young people is always the basis of all decisions made about their lives.
• There must be a focus on building and maintaining life-long relationships – that includes a broader understanding of the risk of not having long term, loving relationships.
• Scotland must parent, not process, children so there is no difference between the lives of children in care and their peers. Care experienced children must not miss out on the kind of childhood that many take for granted and the future that all our young people deserve.
• Families must be kept together wherever it is safe to do so. Families must get the support that is right for them at the earliest opportunity and it must be flexible, consistent, patient and free from stigma. This will mean that more children can live a safe, happy life at home with their families.

The report has identified five foundations for change, with over 80 specific changes that must be made to transform how Scotland cares for children and families as well as the unpaid and paid workforce.

Since 2018, the Care Review’s Stop:Go work with all 32 local authorities has already led to many important changes and ensured the review didn’t delay opportunities to improve the day-to-day experience of care received in Scotland today.

The Care Review has also published The Plan, an approach to implementation plotted out over 10 years whilst demanding urgency is maintained in the pace of change.

The five foundations are: 1) voice of the children must be heard at all stages; 2) what all families need to thrive; 3) care, that builds childhoods for children who Scotland has responsibility 4) people, with a relentless focus on the importance of relationships and 5) scaffolding, so that the structure is there to support children and families when needed.

Fiona Duncan, Chair of the Independent Care Review said:

“I have heard countless stories of when the care system gets it wrong; separation, trauma, stigma and pain.  Too many childhoods have been lost to a system that serves its own convenience rather than those within it.

“The Care Review has listened to what care experienced people have said needs to change and those voices have driven its work and underpins its conclusions.

“It has sought to understand how the system feels to those who live and work in and around it. And it has produced the what, how, why and when of what needs to happen next.

“This is a radical blueprint for a country that loves, nurtures and cherishes its children. This is Scotland’s chance to care for its children, the way all good parents should.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“I would like to extend my thanks to Fiona Duncan and the review members for the work they have put into their final report and supporting documents as well as the individuals who shared their often extremely personal stories with the team.

“In 2016 I accepted a challenge to listen to the experiences of 1,000 looked-after young people because I knew the care system needed a transformation and I wanted to hear first-hand what had to change. These early conversations inspired me to announce an independent root-and-branch review of the care system.

“So for the first time ever the voices of people with experience of the care sector have been, and will continue to be, at the heart of shaping care policy. Over 5,500 people, including care experienced individuals and their families, as well as paid and unpaid care workers, took the time to discuss their thoughts, feelings and experiences to highlight where things are going well and where we need to improve.

“I have had the privilege of meeting many young people with experience of care who are doing extremely well, I have also been given the chance to see the dedication, commitment and passion of those who work in the care sector.

“But I’ve also heard some extremely difficult stories which portray the care sector as bureaucratic and even unfeeling.

“It is clear that despite the efforts of those within the system, the actual experience of too many people in care is not what we want it to be.

“We will keep listening to and working with care experienced people because the case for transformational change is now unarguable and their voice must shape that change. We will work with them and with local authorities, care providers and others to deliver that change as quickly and as safely as possible.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Media contact details: For media enquiries please contact Muckle Media for the Independent Care Review – icr@mucklemedia.co.uk / 0131 2289713

1. You can read the full report on the Care Review website
2. The report is made up of six parts:
   1. The Promise, which is Scotland’s ambition for children and young people: “We grow up loved, safe, and respected so that we realise our full potential.”
   2. The Pinky Promise, a summary of the key conclusions
   3. The Plan, what needs to be done, by who, by when and how
   4. The Money and Follow the Money – they tell Scotland that it must change the way it thinks about investing in its children and families and shows the difference that will make.
   5. The Rules and The Plan to see how to change things
   6. The Thank you, to the 5,500 people who shared their experiences and were the guiding light

1. The Independent Care Review began work in February 2017 and will conclude at the end of March 2020. It is chaired by Fiona Duncan.
2. The Care Review comprises of four stages; Orientation, Discovery, Journey and Destination
3. The Orientation stage focused on meeting children and young people to put in place and plan and set up the governance
4. The Discovery Stage was wide not deep – seeking to establish the roots and branches of the ‘care system’ and a vision
5. The Journey stage comprised of ten deep dive work groups:

• Best place in the world
• Components of Care
• Edges of Care
• Health and Wellbeing
• Justice and Care
• Love
• Rights
• Stigma
• Stop/Go
• Workforce